Comments on: Don’s Workshop – Viewer Shop

By: Don

Don — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 01:26:14 +0000

Wait till you see my shop. i would love a 1 car garage. I have a 8 X 16 “garage” that I have to share with the laundry!!!

By: Dan Pawlak

Dan Pawlak — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:06:11 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. I have a small shop with limited tools. Part of the enjoyment is trying to figure out how to make what I want to make with the tools that I have at my disposal. It is all part of the design process. Not only how to make each component of the piece of furniture, but how to actually fabricate each piece with the tools at hand.

By: Greg Straughn

Greg Straughn — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:54:07 +0000

I received an old Gerstner machinist chest from the early 50′s from my uncle. It had been his when he was a working machinist and then had been in his garage for about the last 25 years (it still has all the old calipers and machine tools) so it was in pretty bad shape. I was tempted to do a make-over and found that Gerstner is still around and sells parts. On their website they indicate that they will do a rehap for $1000+. This confirmed my desire to do it myself. My goal was not to make it like new, but to make it a refreshed version of what it is – that is not put all new hardware, but restore what could be and replace that which could not be. Overall I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

I have posted a couple of before and after pictures for anyone interested.

http://community.thewoodwhispe.....-box-rehab

By: Stanley Denning

Stanley Denning — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:13:31 +0000

Same here. My shop was about 15X20. I roll my table saw out in the drive in order to use it. I have a home made router table. All my tools are B&D or Harbor Freight. When winter comes, I am just about limited to small bench work. Hand tools are hand-me-downs from my Father. That makes some of them over 80 years old. I even made my own bar clamps using thread-all. But, all in all. I can make some nice stuff. It just takes more time than someone with all those fancy tools. It’s all about enjoying what you do, and I do.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:44:49 +0000

Great shop, I have half of a two car garage but I seem to have less room than you. Oh well, something to strive for. I also like all the auxiliary lighting above the router and thickness plain :>) (One can never have too much light,)

By: Peter

Peter — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:26:13 +0000

Nice shop. I am just getting started and have limited garage space so it is nice to get ideas of how others are setting up shop in similar spaces.

By: Larry Dufault

Larry Dufault — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:07:02 +0000

Very nice Don. You have done a really nice job with very limited space.
After seeing how little space you have and still manage to work from I’ll never complain about shop space again. :-)

By: Duane

Duane — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:40:57 +0000

Nice shop Don! hope to have on like it in the future.

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:44:52 +0000

Don – Let’s start here: AMAZING!! You’ve turned your space into a workable shop that not only makes dust but also makes projects!!

I’m 4 months into a new garage that I’m still setting up, but is much larger than my last one. And I still can’t build a square project.

I’m also a photographer, and I know the comparison is true: It’s not the camera, it’s the photographer. In your case, it’s not the shop – or the tools – it’s the craftsman (no pun intended!)

By: Rick

Rick — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:35:45 +0000

Mark W – I have the Jet Combo 10″. The in-feed on the jointer can be a bit wiggly as you change depth of cut, but once’s set and locked, it’s good. The planer out-feed on mine dips below the planer bed, so I try to support it by hand if needed, but as a combo for $400, in my small shop, it does fantastic – how many of us get a 10″ jointer?

(sorry for the short review, and now back to this evening’s feature!)